When it's Dark Enough
by Sanjhiya
Summary: Ginny Weasley, working for the Improper Use of Magic office, is sent on an unusual and difficult case involving a family of Muggles who are under the impression that their house is haunted. Matters get even more complicated when her ex-boyfriend, Harry Potter, is involved in this case as well. Now she has to face rising emotions as well as venture into unknown territories of Magic!
1. The Investigators

It had started not long after my husband and I got divorced. Sometimes I felt that I was going mad out of all the stress, but it was there, as clear as day; the _haunting_ in my attic.

And it was getting worse.

"Marty clear up your dishes, they will be coming in a while," I said, bustling about the kitchen trying to get the dishes cleaned before our guests arrived. Marty, my moody 13 year old sulked and knocked Clara's bowl of porridge over as he picked up the tray.

"Momma!" my 6 year old cried and started trying to push Marty away.

"This kind of behaviour will not do! The investigators are going to come any moment now and I don't want them to think that _we_ are the ones who are demented!"

"This wouldn't have happened if..." started Marty.

"Not a word!" I barked. I am always a wreck when we have guests, but this was different. We were finally getting some help (from people who didn't think we were barking) and I didn't want them to think there was something wrong with my family rather than my house.

 _Brrring!_

"Oh God, they are here," I said to myself, more than anybody. Switching the dish-washer off and hastily wiping Clara's mouth with her kerchief, I hastened to open the front door while smoothing the front of my dress.

"Hello... Mrs. Ansted? I'm from 'Paranormal Researchers'. We had spoken on the telephone last week," a very pretty lady with bright red hair tied back in a ponytail, stood on my porch with a file in her hand and a sling bag around her shoulder. She was young, maybe in her early 20s and she wore a white shirt underneath a beige jacket and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. Her bright brown eyes were warm and friendly, but her demeanor seemed to be a little impatient.

"Yes..." I struggled to remember her name. "Gine-vra?"

"Call me Ginny," she smiled. "May I?"

"Oh yes... Of course," I let her in. I was so nervous that my manners had gone for a toss.

"Would you like a cup of tea? I'm sorry if I'm in a... right state, but managing two kids alone..."

"No, no, it is completely all right. In fact I just had a cuppa before coming here. Hi, kids!" she said, settling on the couch. Marty sulked and Clara greeted her shyly.

"Marty, where are your manners?"

"Hi," Marty shrugged half-heartedly. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Ginny scribbling something down in her file. Was she wondering whether all I have is a problem kid? However, she gave me a reassuring smile when she was done writing.

"Err... Have you come alone? Weren't you going to be a team?" I asked nervously, perching myself on the couch, next to my children.

She looked a little annoyed as she said, "No, actually the initial investigation is done usually by just me, but this time they have appointed another person to… err… assist me. But I just decided to come a bit earlier. I like to know my clients personally."

She seemed a little flustered and I thought there was something that was bothering her. Maybe she didn't like the fact that someone was being sent to assist her on this case. However, I kept quiet.

"So, before I start looking around the house, I would like to know something about you and your family Mrs. Ansted. This isn't my usual protocol, but as your case is slightly unusual, I would like to start with a few questions."

I gulped, "Unusual?" I muttered and glanced at my kids. My son was trying to look casual, but I could sense that he was interested in what this lady had to say. She had a friendly aura about her, yet there was something in her that could make a person rely on her to solve problems.

"Nothing to worry about, Mrs. Ansted," she said, reassuringly. "It is just…"

 _Brring!_

The doorbell rang again, making us all jump. Ginny looked annoyed.

"I'll get that," I said, and hastened towards the door again, opening it. My breath hitched.

"Mrs. Ansted?" said the young man on my porch.

"Yes," I said breathlessly. I was annoyed at myself for sounding like a love-sick teenager. The man looked calm, yet I could sense turmoil inside. He had a quiet strength, and even though he was not overtly muscular he looked like someone who had gone through a lot of battles. His brilliant green eyes were startlingly beautiful behind square glasses and even though his dark hair was tousled, he looked very attractive.

"Hello, I am Harry Potter, from 'Paranormal Researchers'. I expect our team leader is already here," he said extending a hand, the other one being still inside the pocket of his long black trench coat. I took it, immediately noticing the roughness of his skin and his firm grip.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, please come in."

He stepped inside, spotted my hat-stand and immediately removed his coat and hung it there. He wore a dark grey jacket, with a light grey shirt inside and black trousers. He was lean and tall, and I found myself gaping at him. _It is just because you have hardly had a social life after the divorce_ , I told myself firmly. He looked at me politely. I mentally slapped myself and lead him towards the living room. I saw Ginny squirm when he entered and something flash in his eyes when he looked at her. Even though they exchanged polite greetings, I felt that there was a tension between them. Maybe they used to date?

"Sorry I'm late Mrs. Ansted, but I was not notified when my team leader left," he said pointedly and sat beside Ginny. She squirmed a bit again. He smiled at the kids.

"No, it's all right. And you can call me Agatha," I found myself saying, and blushed. Ginny cleared her throat.

"So as I was saying, I would like to ask you a few questions about you and your family before we proceed. So could you tell me _Mrs. Ansted_ , about your work and your relationship with your family?"

I didn't miss the way she said out my surname. However, I didn't comment.

"Well, I am a divorcee. My husband and I got divorced two years back because of personal reasons and I got to keep the kids. There are no grudges though, but it is tough managing everything on my own. Ted, my ex-husband, does come down to visit the kids every now and then and sends an allowance to the family, but still… It is not the same."

I paused for a breath. Ginny and Harry Potter were listening keenly. Ginny also took notes while I was talking and Harry seemed to be observing the house. The kids took a leave. They obviously did not want to hear all of this. I didn't blame them.

"Please go ahead, Agatha," prodded Harry Potter gently.

"I run the local departmental store. The plot was my father's actually. After his death, the land came under my ownership and Ted and I decided to open the store. Business has been good. Ted works as a developer at an IT company, so we never had financial problems. Even after we separated amicably, it was decided that he would send me a part of his salary to fund the kids' education."

"How have the kids taken your separation?" the question came from Harry.

"Well, Clara was too young to understand the gravity of the situation anyway, and even though she misses her father sometimes, she is OK with the arrangement. It has been hard for Marty, however. But sometimes I think that his moody behavior is just a part of teenage hormones."

"Do you have any siblings? How is your relationship with them and your parents?" Ginny asked, keenly.

"I am an only child. My mother had some complications during my pregnancy and I was born slightly premature, so they never had more kids. They were happy having me though, and we share a content relationship. We go to their house once a month. Clara loves to spend time there."

"Any cousins or other relatives…?"

"Well I do have a cousin, but she ran away from home a long time back, when we were in our late teens. She's my maternal aunt's daughter. Actually, she had an affair with someone her parents didn't approve of and after a lot of family drama, one day she was found missing. We tried searching for her high and low, but she was never found. There's a rumour that she has left the country and changed her identity, but nobody is sure. As far as Uncle Harold is concerned she is dead, but it depresses Aunt Hilda a lot. We never speak about that topic in our family anymore, it is a forgotten story. I doubt that her younger brother Justin even remembers her. He was just a preschooler when it happened."

Ginny scribbled down all of this intently. "What is her name, again?" she asked, not looking up.

"Roberta." I said, as Harry got up, looking around the house. It suddenly struck me that these two weren't carrying any gadgets or anything. In fact, Ginny wasn't even recording our conversation (it just seems faster and effortless, doesn't it?), they were being too traditional. But maybe I was being judgmental. I hardly knew them.

"So what exactly has been happening in the house, Agatha?" Harry asked, moving causally towards my dining room area. I stood up, torn between hosting a seated Ginny, and giving Harry my attention.

 _What has_ not _been happening_? I thought.

But as I opened my mouth to speak, a loud crash sounded upstairs followed by a scream from Clara. Horrified, I sprinted towards the noise.


	2. Poltergeist

CRASH!

Ginny looked at Harry, who looked back at her in a similar expression of alarm and they both sprinted after Mrs. Ansted upstairs. On the first floor landing, they found her banging the door towards the right in alarm and screaming her daughter's name.

"Clara!" she was distraught. " _Clara!_ Open the door! It's locked!"

"Move!" said Harry in determination and pushed at the door with his shoulders. Ginny moved in to help, but with his three pushes it had bolted open.

"Clara!" Mrs. Ansted and Ginny both shouted as they rushed in. She was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Ginny spotted her hiding behind her bed stand. She was crying.

Mrs. Ansted rushed towards her daughter and gathered her into her arms, sobbing herself.

"Are you OK? What happened, baby?"

"S-she was here mommy; the bad lady. She said… she said… she will kill us all and threw the flower pot at me." Clara buried her little head into her mother's shoulder.

"It's ok, baby. Harry and Ginny will take care of her. She will not come back." Mrs. Ansted looked at them ruefully.  
Ginny took the room in. Harry was already investigating. There was certainly a flowerpot that was strewn on the floor and the window was open. Even though there was light streaming in from it, the room was oddly dark. She peered out of the window; the front yard was in view. The neighbourhood was a fairly quiet one and there didn't seem to be anything odd about it. Glancing back at Mrs. Ansted and Clara, who were still hugging each other, Ginny silently cast a revealing charm on the front yard, but there turned out to be no one there.

"The bad lady, did you say, Clara?" asked Ginny, turning around. "Who is she?"

Mrs. Ansted answered instead.

"There have been strange things happening in this house since my ex-husband left. At first, it was just small things which were ignorable, like utensils falling down from the stands without any apparent reason and things being found in a completely different place. I first thought it must be the kids and I must be losing track of things because I had gotten so busy, but then things started getting really weird."

"How weird?" Harry came and stood next to Ginny.

"Well, for once, electronic gadgets started working oddly. Like the doorbell would ring several times at once and there wouldn't apparently be anyone ringing it. Mobile phones started switching off by themselves, even though the battery was full. Lights would flicker and then get put out even though there are no electricity problems in the neighbourhood and once my attic bulb burst on its own when I was up there, clearing stuff."

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other, knowing very well that electricity has trouble working when there is magic around. However, they kept quiet.

"Then I started feeling the presence. You see, I am an empath — which means I have an ability to pick on people's feelings easily. I am susceptible to all the vibrations in the air taking place because of emotional shifts and I started to feel a presence around us, looming, always. Even when the kids were in bed and I was finishing up work in the kitchen, I would feel someone in the room. Cold air would pass by me for no reason. I started seeing shadows, and seeing reflections of two people, even though I was the only one standing in front of the mirror.

"And then one day, I entered the kitchen after a bath in the morning and I saw it."

"Saw what?" Ginny asked, curiously.

Mrs. Ansted gulped. "A cup was floating in mid-air. Right in front of me, as if someone invisible was holding it! I stood transfixed, not knowing what to do or think. Then I heard Clara calling me from upstairs and I turned and at that very moment the cup flung itself at me; I ducked reflexively and it crashed on the door frame behind me!"

She looked at them apprehensively, expecting them to say something against her, but they didn't. Harry and Ginny just stood silently next to each other, taking everything in with a serious expression. Seemingly gaining confidence by their behavior, she stood up, wiped her tears and offered them to come downstairs where they could hear the rest of the story comfortably.

"No, we'd rather hear it as we investigate the house." Said Harry and he moved out of the room.

They moved out of Clara's room, into the corridor. Now that she observed, Ginny felt the same gloomy, dark look throughout the house. It was a decent, average house and the construction seemed fairly new. It wasn't as if there wasn't enough flood of light or ventilation in it, but something seemed to be absorbing the light throughout the house.

"Has this been happening only since your husband left? Or have signs of this been happening ever since you moved into this place?" Ginny asked, moving around, checking out the place.

"No, things never seemed to be odd when Ted was here. There has been a looming sense of foreboding ever since he left, now that I think about it." Mrs. Ansted replied as she followed them.

"Has it been happening more in any particular part of the house?" Harry asked. "Do you mind?" he added, gesturing towards Mrs. Ansted's bedroom.

"No, go ahead," she replied and Harry peeped into her room. She continued, "The kitchen is one place I feel uneasy in, especially after it is dark. Otherwise, the whole house is spooky. The energy seems to be moving about. Clara sees this apparition of a woman in her room sometimes."

Ginny's eyes met Harry's. She knew what he was thinking. Clara had to be questioned and it would be Harry's job to look around the house in the meantime.

"Clara dear, would you like to tell us about this lady that you see in your room?" Ginny turned towards Clara and propped herself down on one knee, so that she could be face to face with the little girl. Clara looked at her mother with a scared face, who smiled at her encouragingly. Hiding behind her mother's dress, her blue eyes glistened with tears as she began her story.

"I was… I was playing in my room once in the evening with Mr. Todd and Mr. Tedd, when I heard a knock from my closet. I went and opened it and I saw a lady standing there, wearing a long black dress and she told me to keep quiet. Then she laughed and disappeared!"

"Oh my God, Clara, what happened then? Did she return?" Ginny said in a shocked tone to let Clara feel that she was genuinely interested.

"No she didn't come back that day, but one night, when I was asleep, she came and stood near my bed and s-stared at me. When I told her to leave, she didn't." Tears rolled down Clara's face when she said this.

"It's ok, sweetheart. She won't come anymore. I will drive her away."

"Will you really, ma'am?"

"Call me Ginny." Ginny smiled at her. "And yes, I will."

Ginny stood up as Harry came back to them.

"I've checked the whole house and nothing seems to be odd right now, but Agatha, to prove the occurrence in your house to our crew, we will have to make an attempt to capture it on film. If you don't mind, we would like to set up CCTV cameras in places that you think are haunted."

"All right." Mrs. Ansted looked tired.

"We will come again tomorrow Mrs. Ansted," Ginny smiled at her. "We will set up the cameras and observe for a few days. We need to know what it wants."

"Don't worry, Agatha. We believe you." Harry said as they walked towards the door. Mrs. Ansted just smiled, tiredly. They reached the door. Harry was just about to open it, when it swung open, revealing Marty wearing a bicycle helmet.

"Had just gone out for a ride." He muttered to his mother and jogged upstairs.

Ginny noticed Harry squinting at his retreating form.

"He likes going out on his own, that one. I don't say anything much to him because of all the stress that has been around the house. I don't blame him. I wish I could go out on my own like that too, sometimes." Mrs. Ansted sighed.

"No matter, Agatha. We will take a leave now. If you have any problem, don't hesitate to contact us." Harry smiled at her. Clara however, held Ginny's hand as she turned towards the door.

"She is a very bad lady, Ginny. Please make her go away."

*-*-*-*-*-*

It was a dull, grey afternoon in the relatively quiet neighbourhood of north London. Autumn leaves fell onto the ground and rustled, as the wizard and witch walked through them towards their apparition point. Birds chirped away happily and the wind danced around, soothingly cold. Ginny's head was buzzing with information and trying to comprehend what was just told to her and Harry Potter's presence right next to her didn't help matters. He strolled along casually, as if nothing was bothering him. The git.

She was going to get back at Martha, her head of the department, for this. It has been two years since she has worked on this job and has successfully solved sixteen cases singlehandedly, not considering the more than 20 cases she assisted on. She could do it on her own all right. So what if now the Improper Use of Magic office had meshed with the Auror department? She didn't need Harry Bloody Potter to 'assist' her on this case, even if it was an _unusual_ one. And why has he started wearing those square glasses anyway? Makes him look ridiculous. Git.

"Did you say something?" Harry Potter's deep voice sounded suddenly in her ears.

She jumped in alarm. Had she said some of the things out loud? But then again, good riddance, if he had heard them.  
"No," she muttered.

"Hmm…" He paused. "What do you think about the case?"

 _Oh, as if you don't have 10 theories already, Mr. Potter_

"Well, there is obviously something weird going on as there are all these signs of magic happening, but no trace of it. That could mean two things, either someone is remotely controlling everything, or Clara is a witch and is having spurts of magic. But we can rule out both because I checked on the neighbours and didn't find anything suspicious there. In fact, they all seem to think that the lady has become demented since her husband left and is not able to manage everything on her own. And anyone doing magic from even further away, needs to be a very powerful witch or wizard and I don't think anyone like that that would have an agenda against this family, seeing their backgrounds.

"Also, Clara cannot have signs of magic showing, because if it were so, she would have been detected and registered by now. And anyway, she is too young. She said she can see an apparition of a woman. Muggles can't see ghosts, unless they have some magic blood in them, and the Ansted family doesn't have any history of any witch or wizard. I looked that up. That means we aren't dealing with a ghost here. It's something else. Maybe a poltergeist. But usually poltergeists don't have an agenda, except for annoying people. We should know; we've dealt with Peeves for years. Then again, muggles can't see poltergeists either. What _is_ it then?"

Harry looked impressed.

"That is a fair amount of research that you have done, Weasley. I'm impressed."

"I'm a professional, Potter," said Ginny, stiffly, but felt a blush creeping up her face.

"What do you think of Marty?" Harry asked slowly.

"What about him?"

"Don't you think he is a little fishy? With his apparent lack of interest in his family. He didn't even show up when Clara was attacked."

"Well, that's how most teenagers are. He's having to deal with his own set of hormones and he's upset with whatever's going on in the house. He must be going on excursions of his own."

"We can't rule him out though," said Harry, one dark eyebrow raised.

"I never said I've ruled him out," said Ginny, hotly. "I'm just trying to think in a certain light. Of course, I'm going to corner him after I go back there next time!"

A small smile played on Harry's lips.

"What?" snapped Ginny, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"I pity Marty…" Harry muttered.

"What?!"

"Nothing!"

" What's your deduction, then?" Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can't tell you now"

"Why?" Ginny felt annoyed.

"Because our apparition point's here. See you at the office!"

He gave her a small wave, turned on the spot and vanished, leaving a flustered Ginny behind.


	3. Deductions and Decisions

By the time Ginny apparated into the Atrium, her mind was strangely clear. The Ministry was having a busy day as usual and she managed to push through the heavy crowd of ministry officials and visitors, towards the golden lifts. She even managed to ignore the otherwise annoying security warlock, who conspicuously winked at her as she passed him. Reaching the long line of wizards and witches waiting for the lifts, she moved towards the lines that were the shortest, but grimaced as she had to choose between standing behind a large witch who smelled suspiciously of bubotuber pus or behind Gregory Humpbell, who flirted with her every chance he got. Not wanting to have her mood get put off again, she chose to stand behind the bubotuber witch, who also gave her an excellent cover from Humpbell.

"Sorry... sorry, excuse me... got to get through," she heard a familiar voice behind her and turned around to find her dad, dressed in ridiculous muggle clothing, pushing his way through the crowd, towards the lifts.

"Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Ginny! Oh, what a pleasant surprise..." he joined her in the line.

"Dad, I work here..."

"Yes, yes, of course you do."

" _Dad!_ What's wrong? You seem distracted," she asked a bit concernedly.

"Oh, it's nothing... I'm just returning from a particularly bad assignment of confiscating enchanted barking dog-collars in Basingstoke. The poor dogs... didn't know what was wrong - went berserk! Tore off the trousers of my colleague. In the end, we had to stun them and their owners and later wipe out their memories… the owners' memories, of course."

"Dad, didn't you learn anything from the muggle lifestyle courses we had to take? You seemed to be the most excited about it!" she said, dusting the collars of his shocking pink manteau.

The ministry had made everyone, who had the potential to work with or for muggles, take muggle lifestyle courses ( _Living with Muggles: for a better world_ ) so that they could "see the world through their eyes" (and appreciate them) and also be updated about their lifestyles. It was also for the wellbeing of the Statute of Secrecy; so that pureblood wizards don't seem too conspicuous in front of muggles. The Weasleys who worked at the Ministry were the first ones to join the course, as they wholeheartedly supported Kingsley's attempt to reform the workings of the wizarding world. There were different levels based on how much knowledge one already had about muggles, and although Arthur had insisted upon joining the course on a higher level, he was made to join Ginny and Ron in level one.

"A whole lot of rubbish that was," he said, irritably. "Didn't even teach the real stuff, like how does electrikitty work, and how exactly do they manage to clean..."

"Dad," Ginny nudged him, as the bubotuber witch turned to glare at them. Ginny thought she might be a muggleborn. Grimacing, she spotted Gregory Humpbell for a second and hid behind the witch again.

"You're wearing muggle clothing as well. Where are _you_ coming from?" her dad asked, as they moved forward in the line and let the bubotuber witch take the lift before them.

"I'm on a case, dad. A family of muggles thinks their house is haunted. We are yet to discover what it is."

"Oh, I've heard about that one. That Larry Crestwall, from your department, has a big mouth," he said, as Ginny rolled her eyes. "He was telling us in the cafeteria just yesterday about this magic that the trace wizards detected in this muggle area and the initial investigators couldn't find a source for it anywhere. They've assigned you to further investigate, is it? Good, good."

They squeezed inside another lift that had appeared.

"But dear, I heard that Harry was assigned..."

"I know, dad," Ginny said firmly.

"Oh," there was an awkward silence between them, as the cool voice in the lift announced the arrival of Level 7.

"Ginny dear-"

"No, dad, I don't want to talk about it here."

"I wasn't going to say anything about Harry," Arthur looked at his daughter as she blushed. "I was going to say that your mum has planned a birthday dinner for Victoire, and she was going to invite you to come early to do the decorations. But since I've met you here, I thought I'll tell you myself."

"Oh, yes! I had forgotten; her birthday is in two days. Little Victoire, turning one... time sure flies! Of course I'll come, dad. Tell mum I'll come at five."

"All right, dear," Arthur said. "Hello, Jarman!" he exclaimed to the round old wizard in midnight blue robes, who had just climbed in on Level 4.

"Hello, Arthur!" Jarman said, squeezing in between Ginny and her father. "Looking good!"

"Yes, I have been out on an assignment in a muggle area," said Arthur, pleased with himself and glanced at Ginny, who rolled her eyes. Jarman turned towards her.

"And who do we have here? Hello, Ginny! How are you, dear? Word has it that you've landed on a case with one Mr. Harry Potter. Quite the lucky witch you are!" he said, winking at her.

"Hello, Mr. Hopkins," Ginny said with pursed lips and Arthur, taking her cue, engaged Jarman in a frenzied conversation about enchanted dog collars.

Ginny was thankful as Level 2 arrived and she hurried towards the Oak doors around the corner, leaving her dad and Hopkins behind. After Kingsley had become minister, a lot had changed in the workings of the ministry. Several departments were changed or removed and a few were meshed with each other. One such department was the Improper Use of Magic office being meshed with the Auror one. So now, Ginny's cubicle was beyond the same Oak doors that had held the Auror department; but thankfully, they had divided it into two rooms to avoid chaos. However, the best thing about this partition was that Ginny didn't have to see Harry every day.

Determinedly as she tried to avoid Harry all the time, today wasn't such a good day for her, she thought, as she sulked into her cubicle. Ziva Morgan, her colleague, confidante and research assistant, looked up at her as Ginny tossed her sling bag on the table and pulled out her ministry robes from the drawer.

"In a bad mood, are we?" she grinned as her kohl lined eyes sparkled with mischief. A single, would-be mother and a Goth enthusiast, Ziva's short lavender hair and heavily tattooed arms were always much of a talk at the ministry and led a lot of old-fashioned people to avoid her. And her recent development of getting pregnant before marriage, led to even more outrage of having her work at the ministry, but Kingsley stood his ground and acknowledged her excellent research skills and shut everyone up. Ginny, herself, knew better than to judge her for superficial things, and got along with her really well as they shared the same sense of humour.

"You should know better than to ask me that question," Ginny said, putting on her robes and raising an eyebrow at her.

"So, how did it go?"

"A lot better than what I had actually expected. We even had an incident happen in the house while we were there, though unfortunately we couldn't really witness it. Anyway, I am sending a memo across to Martha and the rest of the team announcing an immediate meeting. There is a lot to discuss."

"I'm still mad at you for not doing field-work with me," Ginny said crossly as they walked towards Martha's office a few minutes later. As head of office, she had a separate room to herself.

Ziva groaned. "Please, Ginny, you know I can't apparate with this little tyke inside me and it would take ages for me to travel the muggle way!"

"Pulling your leg, Ziv," Ginny grinned as they entered Martha's office.

"And I'm sure working with Harry can't be half as bad. He's got some reputation, that one. AND you get to drool over that sexy bum every day," Ziva gave her an evil grin as she whispered all of this in her ear. Ginny gave her a perfectly nasty scowl.

There was already a small crowd in Martha Robertson's office. This was the team that was working on the case. There was Jeremy Hoffstader, who was Martha's assistant, Donovan George, Harry's fellow Auror, John Pennywhistle and Robert Grumbole, who were the primary investigators of this case and had reported the unusual occurring, and Henrietta Worthington, who was responsible for research along with Ziva. Martha, herself, was a large witch who liked her lipsticks dark, and her hair tightly away from her face. She was a firm, authoritative figure and no one could even dream of crossing her. Head of the IUOM (Improper Use of Magic) office, she had very little time on her hands and hence very little patience.

"If Mr. Potter thinks he can come in late because he is a celebrity, he is wrong," she said, irritably as Ginny and Ziva entered. Ginny felt annoyed. Why was she looking at _her?_

"Please, Martha," said Donovan, the Auror. "He has had to go to the hospital room to heal an injury and has sent a message that he would be slightly late. It would be to his err… convenience, if we start without him."

Ginny frowned. _What injury?_

"All right, we shall begin," said Martha, briskly. "Miss Weasley, your report please."

Harry walked in about 10 minutes after Ginny had started explaining about the Ansteds and their situation. He gave a curt nod to Martha, who nodded back, sat next to Donovan, and turned to look intently at Ginny. She felt hot at the neck and suddenly self-conscious, seeing him in his Auror robes.

"The little girl, especially, seems to be really scared about the whole situation. The 'apparition' keeps going to her," Ginny continued telling the group. "So basically what I have concluded is, it's neither a ghost nor a poltergeist because a ghost cannot manipulate things which this entity seems to, and a poltergeist doesn't usually have a vindictive agenda and both cannot be seen by muggles. There can't be anyone remotely controlling either as there is no trace of magic nearby."

"Have you considered a boggart?" Martha asked sombrely.

"It can't be a boggart as well because it only seems to appear in front of the girl; for the mother, it does not take any form," Ginny replied.

"Ok then Miss Weasley if you are done, Mr. Potter will you please give us your report," Martha gestured towards Harry. He got up as Ginny sat next to Ziva, and moved in front of the room.

"Thank you, Ginny, for summarising the information so efficiently," he began, looking generally in her direction. Ziva furtively nudged her.

"So as the little girl, Clara, was being interviewed, I first did a routine check of the house to see if there was anything lurking around anywhere. Turns out, there wasn't. It didn't take much time as the house is not really very big. When we were in Clara's room, there were a bunch of drawings, a few of which were of the 'bad lady'. I took the liberty to bring back one of them," He took out a piece of paper from his robe pocket and passed it on to the group. Ginny noticed his right hand was bandaged. The drawing was child-like, that of a woman in black robes, but it was quite detailed for it to be made out of imagination. The woman had dark eyes and a scar on her collarbone. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun and she had her hands raised in the air. Martha took a good look at it and gave it to Henrietta Worthington and to investigate more on it.

"As I was saying," Harry continued. "There was nothing in the house, but when I moved towards the attic, a strange thing happened. There was an invisible force keeping me at bay. Rather like the ones Death-Eaters used to keep their enemies from entering an area. When I tried the 'finite incantatum' spell, a cut appeared on my wand hand which I had to get healed because a simple healing spell wouldn't work," he held up his bandaged hand. "However, when I went to the healer, she had to use dittany and said that it has been caused by a powerful curse and will take some time to heal."

"Hmm…" said Martha. "This certainly is a strange case. Considering all the information, the first and foremost thing we have to do is provide protection for the muggles and find out what the curse is. I would suggest Morgan to do research on Roberta, the cousin," she looked at Ziva who nodded. "Potter, it will be your responsibility to find out what the curse is and Weasley, it will be your responsibility to protect the family till the case ends. A further meeting will be held immediately once more information is extracted. Donovan and a group of Aurors will be ready as a backup team. Any trouble, and do not hesitate to send over a patronus. All clear?"

They all chorused a yes.

"All right, off you go then."

The office cleared out slowly. Harry was the first one to leave. Ginny gestured Ziva to go ahead and lingered behind as she wanted to have a talk with Martha. As Henrietta finished chatting with the head and left whilst giving Ginny a fleeting smile, she, Ginny went up to her, Martha.

"Martha, I want to talk to you for a second," she said.

"Weasley, I know what this is all about," said Martha impatiently. "You see, I am not the one who has assigned Potter on this case and trust me, I can do nothing about it."

"But the least he can do is be co-operative about discussing matters with me before we have meetings…"

"Look Weasley, the whole world knows there has been a history between the two of you, but this is an official organization and I expect you both to behave professionally. I am very serious about my work and it would be better if the two of you leave your personal issues aside for the moment. And consider this as a warning, Weasley. Now, if there isn't anything you'd like to speak about the case, you may leave."

Ginny sighed and left the room. She knew this would happen and she knew Martha would get highly annoyed, but she had to try. It was late, and the Ministry was almost empty as more than half the workers had left. Ginny trudged into her cubicle and sat down making a report of the meeting that had taken place. Ziva came up to her, her coat tightened around her protruding belly and her bag over her shoulder, ready to leave.

"Staying back?" she said.

"Yes, I have to finish writing this report. I won't get time tomorrow as I have to report to the Ansted's place early in the morning," Ginny said, smiling at her tiredly.

Ziva said goodbye and left. Ginny resumed writing down the tasks that she was supposed to do next. Protecting the Ansteds from any sort of danger would be her first priority. For that, she would have to place a complex version of the intruder alarm, which would set off when any magical being enters the house apart from the attic and her wand would buzz. Another thing she had to do was interview Marty and try and find out what was his take on the happenings inside the house. She thought of Clara's scared face. Martha was right, she, Ginny, was a professional and should behave that way.

A whiff of a woodsy fragrance came her way and she knew it was Harry passing by her cubicle to leave the office. Hastily, she collected all her stuff, threw on her cloak and hurried after him. He was striding along the corridor, towards the lift, talking to Donovan.

"Harry!" she called out.

He turned around with narrowed eyes. When he saw her, he made a straight face and said, "Ginny, hi."

"Harry, I want to talk to you for a second."

"Sure," he turned towards Donovan. "You go ahead, I'll see you tomorrow."

Donovan nodded and left, entering a lift.

The corridor was now empty and it was just the two of them standing in front of the lift. Harry looked at her with puzzled eyes, and she felt hot all of a sudden.

"Harry, I… I know it's hard to forget whatever happened between us, but now is the time to let go of the past and at least…" she sucked in a breath and paused. "It would be helpful to behave professionally just for this case. I don't want any communication problems between us. The Ansteds… They need us and it would do for us not to be awkward around each other," she finished.

Harry stared at her pensively for a long time. He seemed to be deciding something.

"You are right," he finally said. "I have been… stupid. Unprofessional," he sighed. "Yes, at least for the sake of this case, we should behave…" he searched for the correct word. "Normally."

Ginny smiled at him and held out a hand. He took it, obliging her with a small smile. A moment stood still and they seemed to be searching for something in each other's eyes. Then that moment passed, and Harry said a small goodbye and left the place. Ginny remained there for a few more seconds, staring at the place where he had been before.

This was going to be harder than she had presumed. She stood there, clutching her hand which had held Harry's a few seconds ago. Not only was her skin burning, but there was also a dull ache in her heart.


	4. The Warning

**The Warning**

Dark clouds loomed over London that night. Gusts of wind rattled windows, announcing their presence and streetlights seemed to dim under the shadow of the clouds. A low rumbling of lightning broke the silence of the quiet neighbourhood, as a single window lit up in one of the houses. An old, shabby man raised a dusty lantern and peered outside his window towards the Ansteds' house on the opposite side of the road. He could see the light of the main bedroom on, and a shadow bustling about. Presumably, it was Mrs. Ansted getting ready to go to bed. The wind howled against his window and he saw another light flickering on in the house. The one in the attic. And then he saw it.

"There's no doubt about it," he muttered to himself, with a crooked smile.

The kids were tucked into bed and the house was thankfully quiet. It had been a tiring day what with the paranormal researchers coming, the flower pot breaking and her trying to calm Clara down enough to sleep. All this had led to Agatha lagging behind in her household chores and now, stifling her yawn, she had to finish folding the laundry before going to bed.

A low rumbling of thunder clouds sounded from outside the window and a shiver ran down her spine as a gust of cold wind wafted past her. _Drat, this London weather,_ she thought as she moved towards the window to shut it. A mist was creeping across the street below. Through it, she thought she saw a small light in one of the windows of old man Hickerson's run down house across the street. It flickered off as she tried to peer inside. _What was he doing up so late?_ Thinking that it was none of her business, she turned back into her room.

She was arranging the folded clothes in the cupboard when she thought she heard footsteps scuttling about in the corridor. She paused for a few moments, trying to figure out whether she had just mistaken it for another sound. A few seconds of silence lapsed. It must have been her imagination. She turned back to head towards her bed, when the light in her room flickered off. She had slept in this room since years now, but never had it felt so cold and unfamiliar before. It was unnaturally dark. Heart beating heavily in her chest, she stood still for a few moments, waiting for her eyes to adjust in the sudden darkness. A slight moonlight streamed through the window which helped her see a little bit. The room had gone frostily cold and she could see a mist forming before her nose every time she breathed. She could feel it; a presence. Her heart banged frantically inside her chest.

"Mommy," Clara's voice whispered near her ear suddenly. She jumped.

"Clara?" Agatha said out loud as goosebumps erupted throughout her arms. Even though she instinctively knew it wasn't Clara, she inched towards the bedroom door. She could see a small figure standing in the shadows of the corridor.

"Clara, is that you?" She asked in a small voice, her heart thumping frantically against her chest as she slowly moved towards it.

The figure giggled in a strange, echoing voice and ran off. Agatha's hands were shaking as she reached the switch and tried to switch it on. It wouldn't work. She peered outside her door in the corridor. It was as unnaturally dark as her bedroom. She saw the small figure standing outside her daughter's bedroom as soon as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could feel it grinning at her.

"Who are you?" She asked in a trembling voice.

The bedroom door slowly opened on its own. Agatha stood frozen for a moment and so did the figure. And in an instant, it darted inside Clara's bedroom and the door banged shut!

"Clara!" screamed Agatha and ran towards her daughter's room, mothers' instinct kicked in.

She pushed the door open and saw her daughter sleeping peacefully in her bed. Her chest heaved with long breaths. She looked around and there was no one else in the room.

Then the closet rattled.

"Agatha…" she heard a hoarse whisper coming from inside it.

Angered by the terror it was causing to her family, she finally decided to stand up against the force.

"What do you want?!" she said in a loud voice. Clara stirred in her sleep.

"Agatha-aa…" it almost moaned.

"What the hell do you WANT?!" she shouted and pulled open the closet door.

She saw a figure of a lady in black, her face oddly twisted in a permanent scream, before she blacked out.

Marty woke up with a start due to a scream in his sister's bedroom.

 _Ginny sat under the tree which was in front of the black lake. Stormy clouds had lined up the sky and it had started drizzling but it made no difference to her. She just sat there, tears streaming down her face, skipping pebbles on the surface of the water._

 _She had thought that a good night's sleep would make her feel better, but she was wrong. It made her feel worse if anything. She had woken up quite early because of a nightmare. The first thing that she had done was seek out Harry. He was asleep in his dorm, along with Ron and Hermione. He lay sprawled on his four poster in his robes, just as they were the night before, undoubtedly exhausted. She looked longingly at his peaceful face. The war had worn him out, and her brother, and Hermione. What exactly the three had been through over the year, nobody would know. Whatever it was, it had brought them closer than ever. She gave a small smile as she looked over at Ron and Hermione serenely asleep in each other's arms. Well, at least one good thing came out of the war._

 _Just as she was contemplating snuggling on the bed next to Harry, she heard footsteps outside. A streak of red hair and a bandaged ear going out of the portrait hole told her it was George. She knew he was the most devastated of all, and hoping against hope that he wasn't planning on doing anything stupid, she rushed out after him. He moved pretty quickly for someone who was depressed, or maybe it was because he was much taller than she was, but he was nowhere to be seen along the corridor. She ran downstairs towards the Great Hall, and saw him moving quickly outside into the grounds. She sprinted after him, pushing open the great oak doors, with her wand, that had closed behind him._

 _Dark clouds looming overhead, she spotted him walking towards the forbidden forest. She called out to him, but the wind was so strong, he couldn't hear her. She jogged ahead and screamed out his name. This time he heard and spun around._

 _"_ _Ginny! What are you doing here?" George shouted as she managed to catch up to him._

 _She looked up at him, trying to catch her breath. He looked like a mess. His hair was untidy, a stubble lined his jaw, his lips were pale and cracked and his brown eyes, so much like her own, were red and swollen. He clearly hadn't slept all night._

 _"_ _George, where are you going?" she finally panted._

 _"_ _Doesn't matter, Ginny. You shouldn't be here at this time,"_

 _"_ _Why? Because I am your_ baby _sister?" her very own lack of sleep was catching up. She felt irritable. She hadn't jogged all the way behind him just to be told off._

 _"_ _No, Gin, because everyone would be miserable if we lost you as well!" he seemed to spit this out._

 _"_ _That's ridiculous! George, listen, you can't be off on your own all the time, OK? We are all here. You need to be around people…"_

 _"_ _I don't want to be around people at the moment, OK?! I am tired of hearing…" he seemed to be trying to urge himself not to shout anymore._

 _"_ _Listen, Ginny. I want to be alone for a while, alright? Don't worry about me. I am just going to take a stroll in the forest. We – I have been in there loads of times. We – I know my way in and out over there, OK? Just leave me alone for a while. And go back to the castle. It's still not safe out here," he told her and trudged off towards the forest again._

 _Prat. He thinks he is the only one affected by Fred's death. And why does he have the perfect liberty to take a stroll in the forbidden forest of all places and she wasn't even allowed to be out on the grounds? She turned back to look at the now ruined castle. All the thoughts of being mollycoddled by her mother came to her and she thought she could do with some fresh air. So she trudged towards the black lake and settled herself down under one of the trees when thunder rolled and it started drizzling._

 _They had all been through so much over the past year, she thought, as she picked up nearby stones and started skipping them on the water in front of her. It had been emotionally shattering. She had so wanted to be a big part of the war against Tom. All year long she had stood up against the Death Eaters swarming Hogwarts and done all she could to protect the younger students and rebelling against scum. But even after all of that, all everybody thought was how young she was and how she should be protected. What they didn't understand was age is just a number. What the Hogwarts students had gone through the past year had made them all mature beyond their ages. What did the family know? What did the trio know?_

 _Uncharacteristic tears spilled down her eyes as she thought about Harry and a strange bitterness filled her heart. She did admire him of course, for all that he had done for the wizarding world, and she wouldn't have expected anything less from him, but he always seemed to think it was all about himself. He always thought that all this was his fault and this was a war he had to fight on his own. The prat. It was enough that her parents and brothers pestered her about being safe all the time without having Harry to keep himself away from her for her own 'safety'. She hadn't said anything before because she was overwhelmed that he cared about her so much that he would want to distance his 'best source of comfort', but now it all seemed silly. Throughout the year, she had been anything but safe at Hogwarts. If only he had let her come with them to do whatever they were doing. After all, she was the only one who knew how it was to be possessed by Riddle. But no, it was always Ron and Hermione that he needed by his side. And they were just a year older to her. Them, he needed to fight a war; she, he needed to come back to from it._

 _Another tear streamed down her face and got mixed with the rain that was pattering down quite hard now._

 _"_ _Ginny?" called out a familiar masculine voice from the grounds. She peered out to see a dark, tall shadowy figure coming towards her. She instinctively clutched her wand, but it was Dean. He was completely drenched as he finally reached the tree near the black lake._

 _"_ _Ginny, what are you doing here at this hour? And in this weather?" he looked at her, perplexed, shielding his face from the rain with his hand. "Wait, are you crying?"_

 _She quickly wiped away her tears._

 _"_ _No, it's just… The rain went in my eyes… What are_ you _doing here?"_

 _"_ _I thought it was you when I looked out of the castle. Came to see what was wrong," he gave her an apologetic look as he casted the impervious spell and they started walking together towards the castle. He knew she didn't like him being too 'gentlemanly', and a rush of affection ran through her towards her ex-boyfriend._

 _"_ _It was nothing. I couldn't sleep well because of everything that has been happening… And I thought I'd take a stroll near the lake just to- to clear my mind," she shrugged._

 _"_ _And you thought the rain would wash all your worries away?" He said in a falsely dramatic voice and grinned down at her. She gave him a look._

 _"_ _I understand…" he sighed. "This year has been tough for everyone. But now it's over… And hopefully we won't have to face this kind of a thing for a long time."_

 _"_ _Hopefully we won't," they shared a smile._

 _"_ _Anyway, it's nearly time for breakfast," he said. "If we run the rest of the way then maybe we can have some time to dry off before acidity kicks in!"_

 _Ginny giggled and Dean started to jog ahead._

 _"_ _Well, let's see who reaches first, shorty!" he shouted mischievously back at her and started to sprint._

 _Ginny sprinted after him as well, shouting, "Hey! That's not fair! You're taller AND you've had a head start!"_

 _They laughed and clutched at their sides as they reached the entrance hall, Dean obviously before her. The sudden sprint and competition seemed to refresh Ginny and she playfully punched Dean as she skidded to a halt behind him._

 _"_ _You cheater!" she laughed._

 _"_ _Hey, that was the only way I could get you to chase after me!" he grinned, raising his hands in submission._

 _She laughed again as they dried themselves and reached the ruined great hall where a few people were sitting on whatever was left of the tables and getting served by house-elves. Her mum and dad and Percy were already there sitting at what was left of the Gryffindor table, probably out of habit, with some sandwiches and pumpkin juice in front of them. Her mum waved out to her as soon as she spotted her. Ginny gave her a nod looked over at Dean. He was waving towards Luna and Neville who were sitting at the Hufflepuff table._

 _"_ _Ginny, I've got to get going. Luna has a pumpkin pasty…"_

 _"_ _Dean?" Ginny stopped him before he went. He looked at her quizzically._

 _"_ _Thanks for coming for me," she said emotionally. He continued to look at her, confused, but then it struck him and he pulled her into a bear hug._

 _"_ _It's ok. Though I was a bit scared at first that you would hex me for invading your privacy," he grinning. Ginny giggled guiltily against his shoulder._

 _"_ _You're a great guy, Dean," she smiled up at him. "I hope you… Never mind, bye…" she ended softly._

 _He looked at her for a moment, then said bye and moved off towards the Hufflepuff table. Ginny turned towards her family, but a streak of black hair and a woodsy smell told her that Harry had just walked past her._

CRACK!

A particularly loud sound of lightning half woke her up. Oh no, it was that dream again. After so many years… She _had_ to finish it…

 _Harry had avoided talking to her all day. All he had done was give her a small smile and made small talk during breakfast when she sat next to him and then disappeared to join the people who were repairing the castle. All day, she was stuck being around her family, as Molly seemed to want all her children right under her nose. Even Ron and Hermione (who were not bickering for a change) pretended to have no idea where he had gone. Hermione, the all-knowing one, had shrugged it off by saying that he must probably be with Kingsley. Then the funerals had happened and it was all emotionally draining as they all remembered their loved ones who had gone. Harry stood right at the front with Kingsley and the other ministry officials, taking an oath in his speech that he would change the wizarding world for good and everyone had clapped and her mum had practically howled with 'tears of pride', but all Ginny felt towards Harry was annoyance._

 _At long last, after having stalked him all day (he_ always _seemed to be with someone or the other), she finally cornered him outside the portrait hole after it was so late at night that everyone had fallen asleep._

 _What happened after that drove the Fat Lady and the other portraits mad due to the shouting and Ginny had to urge herself not to hex the wizard who had just defeated Voldemort with one freaking spell. Like the perfect little clueless prat that he was, he had commented about how happy Ginny seemed with Dean and that she deserved someone 'better' than he, himself. And when she had refused to accept that she wanted anyone else and that she had put up with all his overprotective nonsense just because she loved him, he told her that all he wanted was her to be safe from harm. That was when she had lost it. She told him that he didn't understand that for her being with him was more important than being 'safe' and her temper flared even more when he looked away from her and she shouted that she had abided by every idiotic plan of his to keep her safe and away from him just to be at his side when he came back. But what did he do? He completely ignored her. Not to mention that he had never confided anything to her but he also spent time with to everyone else apart from her on the day he killed Riddle. And then he slept off and when he did wake up, he ignored her the entire day. What kind of a couple were they if they couldn't be together at their darkest times? Didn't he think that she was equal to him? And if she was going to be mollycoddled by him this way all her life then yes, she was better off with someone else!_

 _He had not looked back at her. He had just left. He had left the castle. He had left her life. He had joined the Ministry as an Auror and busied himself so much that he did not even have time to visit the Burrow when she was around. She herself had shifted to a small apartment in London after graduation which made the ministry more accessible to her. He never wrote a single letter. He never looked at her even when he passed her in the Ministry corridor. It was not like Ginny hadn't tried. She did write to him. She did try barging in on him in his cubicle, but in vain. That was when she gave up. She couldn't waste precious time of her youth chasing an idiotic prat who thought only he was right. She had better things to do…_

Tap! Tap!

 _Like date other handsome men with dark hair._

Tap! Tap!

 _Flush Harry's face down a toilet._

Tap! Tap! Tap!

 _Lock Harry up in a glass cage._

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

 _Look at him trying to tap himself out. He, he, he!_

CRACK!

TAP! TAP! TAP!

Ginny woke up with a start. Something was tapping at her window! Hastily pulling her robes on, she moved towards her bedroom window in her small London apartment and pulled back the curtains in a swish.

It was a grey eagle owl, shivering in the cold of the night, perched on her window sill and tapping away at the glass.

"Wait a minute," she said, opening the window with her wand. The bird immediately flew in and settled next to the fireplace. Her own Burrowing owl, Flydel was unimpressed and gave an angry hoot at the intruder.

"There, there, Fly, this one's had a cold flight. Here you go," she tossed the eagle owl a tidbit, which he caught in mid-air and gobbled up instantly.

"Hey, you're good!" she said, kneeling down next to him. "Now let's see who that idiot is who wants to disturb me in the middle of the night."

She untied the letter from his leg and he flew away instantly back into the cold of the night. Suddenly feeling a bit unsettled, she moved closer to the fire in order to read better. The paper was damp from the humidity outside and it was much thinner than a parchment. Something only a muggle would use. There were only two words written on it, made from newspaper cuttings:

'STAY AWAY'

At that same moment, the fire place roared with green flames and Martha's face bobbed up in the green fire.

"Ginny, there has been a telephone call from the Ansted's place to Worthington right now. It was the boy. He said his mother has been attacked. I want you and Potter –"

"Wait, Martha, look at this," she showed her the warning.

"What? When did this come?" she shouted.

"Just now. From a grey eagle owl."

"Where is that bird?"

"He flew away just as I untied this."

"Aargh! I am coming over. And calling Potter as well," she said irritably and went off.


End file.
